


Counterplay

by tromana



Category: The Mentalist
Genre: Episode Tag, Episode s05e08 Red Sails in the Sunset, Gen, Introspection, One Shot, POV Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-22
Updated: 2012-11-22
Packaged: 2017-11-19 06:39:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/570322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tromana/pseuds/tromana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She knows. Episode tag to 5x08 Red Sails in the Sunset.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Counterplay

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ch19777](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ch19777/gifts).



> For ch19777 and the Paint It Red November 2012 Monthly Challenge.

She knew.

She knew he had hatched the plan to spring Lorelei Martins from federal prison.

She knew that he hadn't been kidnapped by her, but instead, that they had taken off together.

She knew that this was yet another one of his plans to try and break Lorelei.

To try and get more information on Red John.

To try and kill the serial killer before she had a chance to arrest the bastard.

She also knew that Jane had been the one to hatch Lorelei's escape plan.

She knew he had crashed the car on his own, after Lorelei had left the cabin.

She knew that Jane had lied to her on that front too. Lorelei wasn't on foot; she had a vehicle and had, once again, slipped between their fingers.

This time, it wasn't the FBI (or Red John's) doing, it was Jane's himself.

Once they had discovered that the FBI had moved Lorelei into a different federal prison, Lisbon knew they could have gotten her back with legal means. A judge ruling had concluded that Lorelei was their prisoner, and thus, the FBI had acted illegally (and in a petty manner) by spiriting her away before she and Jane had even had a chance to question her.

Instead, Jane had decided to take it into his own hands and to pull this crazy stunt. He'd forgotten that Lorelei was _their_ suspect, not the FBI's, and that they had the law on their side. Now, because of his actions and reactions, they had nothing. The only Red John acolyte to be apprehended held behind bars and to survive, had now gone.

Lorelei had probably, straight back into the serial killer's arms. She had most likely updated Red John on every case development she had learned since being in custody. They were probably laughing at how idiotic the CBI (and FBI) were. Mocking how little they knew. Planning what move to carry out next, just to prove how dangerous that Red John was.

This had probably been their back-up plan all along. When Jane failed to hand over Lisbon in order to become 'closer' to Red John, they had most likely planned for Lorelei to be apprehended. Decided that she would be capable of pulling the wool over Jane's eyes. Used her to infiltrate the CBI, instead of Jane infiltrating Red John's inner circle.

It seemed so obvious now, and Lisbon couldn't believe how foolish she had been not to see otherwise.

But Jane…

He believed wholeheartedly that Lorelei would break for him.

He believed she would come back.

He believed that she would give him Red John.

Lisbon didn't believe any of that.

She didn't trust the woman to have a conscience.

She didn't trust the woman to do the right thing.

She didn't trust Jane to share the information with her, either.

Jane believed this was for the greater good.

Jane believed that this was the only way to make Lorelei see sense.

Jane believed anything, if he thought that it would give him a solid lead to Red John.

Lisbon knew all this. Over the years, Jane had grown increasingly reckless every time he even saw a whisker of hope in getting one step closer to Red John. Thus far, she knew there was only one price that Jane wouldn't be willing to pay, and that was her life. Three times now, Lisbon had been directly threatened by Red John or one of his followers. And on each of the three occasions, she had survived by the skin of her teeth. On one of those occasions, Jane saved her life. And she thought that meant something.

Doesn't it?

Only she stood by Jane through the thick and think.

Only she endured him whenever he's off on one of his crazy plans.

Only she was still there to pick up the pieces afterwards.

And only she really knew what he was like these days.

Sometimes, she hoped that that was enough. That it would stop him from doing anything reckless, from losing his life to Red John. Lisbon hoped that she was teaching him that life was still worth living, that he could move on from the death of his family and that contrary to popular belief, he was still a good person. Days like this made her lose faith a little, but Lisbon still remained steadfast in her belief that she could save him.

Some people claimed that she had a complex when it came to saving broken individuals. Lisbon knew that these claims were entirely justified, but she wasn't about to go and fight against it. If she believed there was something worth saving in somebody, then she was going to fight tooth and nail in order to save them. She'd failed when it came to her father, and she wasn't going to lose Jane without putting in a good fight. Somebody had to do it, and as far as she was concerned, that somebody was her.

After all, she understood Jane's desperation to catch the person responsible for his wife and daughter's murder. She had been there herself, when her mother had died when she was just thirteen. Lisbon had seen it in the faces of so many people, from so many different walks of life, within her job. That was why she fought every day to capture these murderers. It may have seemed like she was fighting in vain, but if one less criminal was roaming the streets, and one more family had the answers they craved, then she considered it a job well done.

She wished that he would trust her enough to open up to her.

She wished that he could understand that she was with him through this trial.

She wished she could just find and arrest Red John, so that Jane could have the closure he deserved.

And she wished that she had good reason to trust _him_.

That was why she hadn't arrested him when she had found that stick in the car after he'd been removed from it. That was why she had lied when she had told him she'd have arrested him if she had evidence that he was involved in Lorelei Martin's escape. That was why she was intent on keeping him close.

Lisbon knew that Jane was a dangerous man. She knew that, by doing this, she was positioning herself between Red John and Patrick Jane. It was crazy, and dangerous, and could well result in her death. She had been lucky three times, who was to say that she would maintain it for a fourth?

But, it was safer to have Jane nearby, instead of out of sight, and thus, out of her control.

Wasn't it?


End file.
